**Source: Collected Works vol. 50**

Peasant Filipp Ilyich Bodrov (lives in Moscow, Sokolniki, Lesnaya School) — former Petersburg worker, party member for more than 20 years — who has a farm in Venevsky district of Tula province (approximately 20 family members living together undivided, a "middle peasant") — assures me that it is possible to transport grain by cart to Moscow from distances up to 200 versts from it (his village is 180 versts from Moscow). There is grain, he says, and there are surpluses.

Winter time has been lost, it is true, but even after sowing (which ends around St. Nicholas Day) there will remain about 1 month of free time (until manure is hauled out—a week before St. Peter's Day). This time must be used.

It is necessary urgently, immediately to gather information and data and, if there is even the slightest chance, to implement this measure, for there will be no transport from the east.

7. IV. 1919.

Chair. Council of People's Commissars V. Ulyanov (Lenin)

First published in 1942 in Lenin Collection XXXIV

Printed from the manuscript